Apparatus for cutting metals.



.B. E..BOSLER & w. L. McMEANS.

APPARATUS FOR CUTTING METALS.

APPLICATION FILED AUG-3| 1915.

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Patented Dec.14,1915.

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JP r, 2133 wauwww p 3& ATTORNEY B. E. BOSLER (KI W. L. McMEANS. APPARATUS FOR CUTTING METALS. APPLICATION. FILED AUG-3. 1915. 1H; Patented Dec. 14, 1915.

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APPARATUS FOR CUTTING METALS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Deco ild, fetid,

Application filed August 3, 1915. Serial No. 43,375.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, BENJAMIN E. Bos- LER and WILLIAM L. MCMEANS, both citi- Zens of the United States, residing in the city of Johnstown, in the county of Cambria and State of Pennsylvania, (whose post-oflice addresses are Johnstown, Pennsylvania,) have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Apparatus for Cutting Metals; and we do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to apparatus for cutting metal bars and is particularly adapted to very quickly and economically cut pieces of predetermined length from long, round bars, which pieces may be of any length or diameter desired.

The invention relates to the use of a plurality of cutting-off tools, which are pref- .erably as thin as practicable in order to reduce the wasteland cuttings to a minimum, and the cutting edges of which are sharpened or ground at an angle suitable to the kind of material to be cut.

The essence of the invention consists in an apparatus provided with a plurality of metal cutting tools so mounted and arranged that they may be projected toward and into the bar and are automatically held to their work by fluid pressure. Owing to the fact that the tools are held to their work by fluid pressure, which is maintained during the cutting process,they are thereby fed into the metal ata rateof speed which is proportional to theresistance of the metal to be out and the fluid pressure which projects them. This being the case, if any one, or any number of tools should become slightly dull, it or they would be automatically accommodated to this and the fluid pressure would not push a tool with too much pressure and it-would thereby not be rapidly dulled. If, on the other hand, the tool should be projected by positive and mechanical means, the instant it became dull the mechanical and positive pressure would increase and would continue to push the tool into the metal at the usual rate, with the result that the edge would immediately become more dull and ineificient, besides spoiling the work. We have found by actual trial on a full size scale that our apparatus operates more quickly,

economically and with less attention than section and one of our fluid-pressure cylinders and pistons thereof, also in cross-section, in addition to which it shows a crosssection of the bed or slide-ways of a lathe or other tool, which is adapted to support the apparatus and to rotate the metal bar to be cut; Fig. 2 is a cross-sectional elevation on the line Ill-H of Fig. 1, and Fig. 3 is a somewhat diagrammatic view of a pair of fluid-pressure controlling valves,

these being what are known as three-way valves, as illustrated.

Referring now to the characters of reference on the drawings :1 is the'b'ed of a lathe or similar machine tool adapted tov receive and rotate the metal bar, 2 are the slides or ways thereof; 3 are portions of the carriage adapted to be'mounted upon said ways and adjusted thereon in various positions as desired, 4 are slots provided in the carriage 3 adapted to receive the heads of the bolts 6 as illustrated, whereby the angular bed-plate 5 may be adjusted on the carriage 3 as desired, 7 is the face-plate of our apparatus provided with an opening 8 therethrough, adapted to receive a bar of any size within limits, 9 are bolts which secure the slide casing 11 to the face-plate and which are provided with spacing sleeves 10 to predetermine the distance between these two portions, 12 is a bushing, prefersmaller water,

ably made of anti-friction metal of size very slightly greater than the bar to be cut, whichbushing may be taken out and replaced by another of a different size if another size of bar is to be operated upon, this bushing is held in place by a set-screw as illustrated. Grooves 13 are'provided in the slide easing as illustrated, and connecting tothesegrooves is the pipe-14, which is adapted to supply water, soda-water, soapoil or other material adapted' to lubricate and cool the cutting tools. These passages 13 communicate with a similar passage 15, which is formed in the bushing 12, the smaller exit end of which serves to provide a jet of cooling and lubricating fluid to the cutting edges of the tools when in use. Other and similar passages are provided in the lower part of the slide casing, to which is connected the pipe 16, which serves the double purpose of lubrieating the ,tools and, as the fluid issues from the small spaces between the slide casing 11 and the slide 19, it dislodges from this lower opening any particles of metal or cuttings which have dropped therein, thereby keeping the lower cutting tool free from obstruction.

As illustrated, we have shown four cylin-' ders 17, but we may use either more or less than this number if desired, and in each of these we provide pistons as illustrated having piston rods, the outer ends of which are preferably formed ball-shape, as illustrated at 18, these serving to connect with the slides 19 and to project them forward for cutting and by the reverse movement to retract the tools ready for another operation. The cutting blades or tools are indicated at 20, while '21 are clamps adapted to secure the cutting tools within the slides and 22 are the slide clamp blocks. The bolts 23 serve to attach the cylinders to the slide casing, while 2i and 25 are the main fluid-pressure supply pipes, which are controlled by the three-way valves 26 and 27 respectively. These threeway valves are provided with link connections 28 and 29, so arranged that when these links are projected into the position as shown by the full lines, the fluid pressure is admitted to the rear end of the cylinders and allowed to be discharged from the front ends of the same; whereas when the links 28 and 29 are in their lower positions as indicated by dotted lines, the fluid pressure is admitted to the front ends of the fluid-pressure cylinders and exhausted from the rear pprtions. These link connections are provided with a handle 30 for convenience of operation.

31 and 32 are the pipes leading to the rear and front ends of the cylinders respectively for the purpose of supplying and exhausting fluid under pressure therefrom, which fluid is preferably air under pressure, but we wish it understood that we may also use water, oil or other fluids or gases as desired.

The bar which is to be cut is indicated at 35 and the holder adapted to secure and rotate the same is indicated as 36, which latter is securedto or mounted on the chuck 37 which is adapted to be rotated in any well known or desired manner.

The method of operation of our apparatus is'as follows: The bar 35 is introduced into the holder 36, adjusted and secured centrally therein by means of set-screws shown near .the end thereof, the bar resting meanwhile in the bushing 12 provided therefor. The chuck 37 is caused to rotate, thereby rotating the bar 35, whereupon the valves 26 and 27 are operated in such a way as to cause fluid under pressure to enter the rear ends of the cylinders, with the effect of forcibly, and uniformly projecting all the cutting tools against the bar, so that each one of them operates automatically to cut its due share and proportion. After the cut is accomplished, the valves 26 and 27 are reversed in position, thereby causing the fluid pressure to enter the front ends of the cylinders and to be exhausted from the rear ends, whereupon the tools 20 are retracted, after which the bar is reset for another operation. During the cutting operation lubricating and cooling fluid under pressure is supplied to the pipes 141 and 16 and serves to lubricate and cool the cutting tools, while the lower jet pipe 16 serves also to carry away small chips or cuttings which would otherwise clog the lower tool. As the fluid pressure is all supplied from the same source, the ad mission of fluid under pressure to one cylinder also admits it to all the cylinders, so that the tools are pushed forward with the same amount of pressure for each. As, however, the tools in operation are, of necessity,

of different degrees of sharpness, the sharper tool of the lot will cut more cleanly and more deeply than the others; and on account of the fact that the tools are projected with substantiall equal force, the duller ones are not forced into the material so as to tear it Y or destroy themselves, as would be the case if they were projected by mechanical and positive means. This is one of the particular features of this invention, as it conduees to rapidity of work and economy of tools, both with respect to the wearing and maintenance of the same. In other words, the feed of the tools in these respects is somewhat automatic by reason of the fact that they are all connected together and are projected forward by the same fluid pressure.

The cutting-off tools of our apparatus act in a measure simultaneously but successively, in that the cut of one tool follows the cut of the other, and to express this clearly and simply we use the word sequential to describe the tools and their action.

Another and important feature of this invention is due to the fact that the fluid pres sure cylinders contain pistons, which can be retracted with great speed by a reversal of.

the pressures within the cylinder s, which pressures are controlled by suitable valves, thereby providing a quick return movement, with minimum loss of time between operations, and this could not be accomplished by mechanical means with any similar degree of speed or economy.

Although we have shown and described our tools as mounted on a fixed slide-plate and only adapted to move forward and backward while-the bar itself revolves, we may also adapt the same to revolve while the bar remains stationary, as will beIreadilyunderstood.

Although we have shown and described our invention in considerable detail, We do not wish to be limited to the exact and "specific details shown and described, but

may use such substitutions, modifications or equivalents thereof as are embraced within the scope of our invention or as pointed out in the claims.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a metal cutting apparatus, a plurality of sequential cutting tools adapted to cut a groove by removing the material therefrom and unitary fluid pressure means adapted to project said rial to be cut.

In a metal cutting apparatus, a plurality of sequential cutting tools adapted to cut a groove by removing the material therefrom, and unitary fluid pressure means adapted to project said tools into andretract the same from the material to be cut.

3. In a metal cutting apparatus, aplurality of sequential cutting tools adapted to cut a groove by removing the materialthere s from and unitary fluid pressure means adapted to simultaneously project each tool toward the material to be cut by substantially the same fluid pressure for each tool, whereby the cut of each tool is determined by its resistance. I

4. In a metal cutting apparatus, a plurality of sequential cutting tools adapted to cut a groove by removing the material therefrom and connected fluid pressure means adapted to project said tools toward and to retract them from the material to be cut by substantially --the same fluid pressure for each movement.

In a metal cutting apparatus, a plurality of sequential cutting tools adapted to out a groove by removing the material there- :i from mounted in slide-ways, similar fluid tools into the mate 6. In a metal-cutting apparatus, a plus rality of tools mounted in slide-ways and adapted to be projected toward and retractedfrom the metal to be cut, separate fluid pressure apparatus connected together and to each tool and means for supplying and eX- hausting fluid pressure from said apparatus, whereby the tools are projected forward or retracted, as desired.

7. In a metal-cutting apparatus, a slide. casing, a plurality of slides mounted in said casing, a tool carried by each slide, a fluid pressure cylinder -and connections adapted to operate each of said slides and thereby project or retract the tools carried thereby, and means connected to ,a common source for supplying fluid pressure to and exhausting the same from each of said cylinders.

8. In a metal-cutting apparatus, a slideplate, a plurality of slides mounted therein, tools carried by said slides, fluid pressure pistons connected to a common source of fluid pressure and to each slide and adapted to project and retract the same, and a bushing mounted in said slide-plate adapted to fit and support the bar to be cut.

9. In a metal-cutting apparatus, a slideplate having canals therein, a bushing mounted on said plate and having a cylindrical opening, grooves or canals provided in said bushing connecting with the canals of the slide-plate, and pipes connected to said channels adapted to supply fluid under pressure thereto.

10. In a metal-cutting apparatus, aplurality of tools mounted on slides on a slideplate, fluid pressure pistons and connections attached to each of said slides and adapted to project and retract the same, a bushing mounted in said slide-plate provided with a cylindrical opening therein, canals formed in said slide-plate, with their exit openings adjacent to the cutting edges of the tools, and means for supplying fluid under pressure to said canals.

11. A metal cutting machine, including a plurality of tool-equipped members arranged to deliver a cutting action upon the work, means for relatively moving the work and the tools, fluid pressure actuated pistons, with their piston rods acting directly upon said tool-equipped members, and means for delivering the fluid pressure to said pistons from a cemmon source.

A metal cutting machine, including a pluraiity oi tool-equipped members arranged to deliver a cutting action upon the worlr, means for relatively moving the work and the toois, fluid pressure actuated pistons with their piston rods acting upon pressure means cooperating with each of e5 memes said tool-equipped member's, means for deour signatures in the presence of two witliverlng the fluid pressure to said pistons, nesses. means arranged in said tool-equipped mem- BENJAMIN E. BOSLER. hers for dellverlng lubrlcant to the tools, and

5 means arranged in said tool equipped'mem- WILLIAM MCMEANS bers for discharging the metal chips from Witnesses: the tools.

, LEONARD A. SEITZ, In, In testimony whereof We hereunto aflix FRED A. STAHL. 

